Their new offices in Cleveland will soon be operating using the power of the sun. At least 4,212 solar panels will be collecting the sun’s rays and helping to power up CMHA’s headquarters in Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood.

Officials say the multimillion dollar clean energy project is a step in the right direction.

“This project is important because it gives us an opportunity to provide energy in a sustainable way, it’s going to allow us to do some things that traditionally you wouldn’t see housing authorities do, but it does it in a way I think it will benefit the community a great deal,” says Jeffrey Patterson, CEO of CMHA.

A previously vacant lot was empty for years but now six acres of the lot is being put to good use by providing sustainable energy and jobs.

“It’s going to allow us to have some resident employment opportunities here which not only allows people to work, but also allow them to learn about something they may or may not have had the opportunity to experience,” says Patterson.

CMHA officials believe the $3 million solar panel farm will save millions of dollars in power over the next 30 years which is the life span of the panels.

Michael Shaut is the CEO of “Carbon Vision” which manufactures the solar panels. He says on a sunny day these panels will be able to collect enough solar power to run the entire headquarters, which is more than 73,000 square feet.

“About 100 homes is a pretty good estimate, it will provide about 1.1 million kilowatt hours which if your average home is 10 or 11 thousand kilowatt hours so yeah it’s a hundred homes maybe a little bit more,” says Shaut.

CMHA provides housing to about 55,000 people in Cuyahoga County. Last fall they also started using solar panels on some of these homes at Heritage View to provide clean cheap energy to its low income residents.